Agricultural implement



April 17, 1928. 1,666,841

A. J. AUSPITZER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT sis-Sheet 1 1 Filed May 5. 1926 3 She April 17, 1928. 1,666,841

A. J. AUSPITZER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT Filed May 5. 1926 3 sh t -s 2 April 11, 1928. 1,666,841

A. J. AUSPITZER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT Filed May 5. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES I 1,666,841 PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED JOHANN AUSPI'IZEB, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOB TO BESEABC: CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT.

Application filed Kay 3,

This invention relates to a power-operated agricultural implement and particularly to a device of the rotary plow type.

It is recognized that working the soil by means of implements which disintegrate the soil and stir or turn it present advantages over the more usual type of plow in which the'lon rows of the soil are bodily turned over with comparatively little or no working of the displaced soil. Known types of rotary plows are open to the serious objections that they are of complicated and expensive construction, and are expensive to operate due to the cost of renewing parts which are broken by encountering roots or rocks. When there are a great many roots in the soil, certain types of machines cannot be used as the roots collect in the machinery and prevent its rotation.

In rotary plows and in other power-operated machinery it is necessary that a resilient drive be em loyed between the ower shaft and parts the mechanism whic may encounter fixed or relatively fixed obstructions.

An object of the invention is to provide a device having an eflicient resilient drive which is composed of but few and simple parts. An object is to provide an agricultural implement of the rotar tool type in which the tools are operated t rough a resilient drive which prevents damage to the tools by roots and stones. A further object is to provide an agricultural implement of such construction that the mechanism is protected from clogging by roots or other material displaced by the operative tools. A further object is to provide a rotary plow tool of high strength and efiiciency.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawings, in which: 1

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in central section, of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the implement;

Fig. 3 is a broken side elevation of the plow member with one of the side disks removed;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail illustrating the operation of the flexible drive.

In the drawings, the numera1 1 identlfies the ylindrical shell L y m hm hic 1926. Serial no. 106,570.

is arran ed the motor 2 and fuel tank 3. A flaring dust guard 4 at the lower end of the casing supports a shaft 5 which is driven from the motor shaft by a chain 6 or the'like. A ground-engagin wheel 7. is supported from the casing at lts lower end and is offset from the side of the casing to permit the positioning of the rotary tool below the ground level when the handles 8 are at a convenient distance above the ground level. A pair of auxiliary su ports or legs 9 are pivotally connected to'tihe upper end of the casing 1 for supporting the im lement when it is not in use. Suitable switch or other control elements 10 are provided on one of the handles 8.

As shown, the shaft 5 carries a rotary plow having a plurality of tools 11 arranged at the periphery of a supporting wheel 12. Each tool 11 is prefera y formed as a U- shaped member, the side bars of which terminate in forwardly directed and pointed ends 13. A cutting member 14 extends between the ends 13 of each tool and preferably takes the form of a hard drawn wire or rod. The ends 13 are preferably slotted as at 15 to receive the enlarged ends 16 of the cutting wire 14. As shown, the slots 15 extend from the outer face of the ends 13 and slope rearwardly in order that the pressureexerte upon the wire 14 will hold it in place.

The sever'altools 11 are carried by a wheel rim 17 which is operated from the shaft 5 through a flexible drive. A hub 18 is keyed to the shaft 5 and provided with a plurality of sockets 19 within which the ends of cables 20 are secured. The outer ends of the cables 20 are fixed in sockets 21 having threaded extensions 22 which pass through the rim 17. To permit the ready insertion and removal of the cables, the latter are provided with terminal sleeves 23 which are retained in the respective sockets 19, 21 by set screws or the like 24.

In the preferred construction, the threaded extensions 22 serve as means for securing the tools 11 to the rim. Reinforcing frames or spiders 25 are provided at each side of the hub 18 and the outer ends of the arms 26 of the frame are secured to the respective sockets 21 within which the cable ends are fixed. To prevent interference from roots or other material dislodged b the tools the drive mechanism is enclose by disks or plates 27 which are ournaled on and rotatable with respect to the shaft 5. If desired, tensionedflexible' spokes between saidshaft the disks 27 may be connected to the inner andsaid rim.

ground increases the effectiveness of the ma- 5 mounted thereon, said member terminating sorber when the tools strike stones or roots dation and acceleration of the rim as the ends of the supporting frames 25. The 2. In an agricultural implement, a power peripheral edges of the disks 27 extend to shaft, an annular rim for carrying groundthe rim 17 and preferabl the edges of the engaging tools, and radially arranged cables disks are turned inward y and overlapped connected to said rim and power shaft for to constitute the wheel rim. transmitting power from said shaft to said The resilient drive acts as a shock abrim.

3. In a device of the class stated, a resince the cables 20 can'flex and elongate as silient drive comprising a power shaft, a shown in Fi 5. During the normal operhub fixed thereto, a wheel mm, and a p1uation the ca les will be bent as the indirality of cables between said hub and said vidual tools strike the ground surface but. rim.

this deflection of the drive members will 4. A rotary plow comprising in combinanot be as great as that which occurs when a tion, an annular rim, a U-shaped member comparatively rigid obstacle is encountered. mounted thereon, and a thin earth-plowing With the drive shaft 5 running at a submember extending between the ends of the stantially constant speed theperiodic retar- U-sha ed member.

5. rotary plow comprising, in combinatool's contact with and move away from the tion, an annular rim, a U-shaped member chine. The power stored in the stressed in forwardly directed ends,,and a wire excables is released as one tool moves out of tending between said ends. 1

the ground and is-av'ailable to increaseihe 6. In a rotary plow, a, power shaft, a rim velocit with which another tool strikes the carrying a plurality of earth-plowing tools, groun surface. and a resilient drive between said shaft In operating the device the rotation of the and said rim. shaft 5 carries the U-shaped tools 11 through 7. The invention as claimed in claim 6, the ground to cut and tear the. soil apart. wherein said drive'compris'es a hub fixed The wires 14 cut the portion of the soil to said shaft and a plurality of cables bewhich is to be worked from the undisturbed tween said hub and said rim. layer. The stresses set up in the wires 14 8. In a rotary plow, a power shaft, a hub are not such as to cause deflection in a radial fixed to said shaft, a wheel rim carrying direction and the bottom of the trench which tools, a resilient drive between said hub they cut will be substantially arallel to the and said rim, and a disk at each side of said ground surface. As the un isturbed soil hub for enclosing said drive mechanism, does not present any pocketsin which the said disks being rotatable on said shaft. water may collect, the plant growth will take place under the most favorable condiwherein the peripheral edges of said disks tions. are inturned to form the mm.

It will be noted that the construction is '10. In a rotary plow, an implement insimple and comparatively inexpensive and eluding an an'nu ar rim, and an earth cutthat the parts most subject to wear may be ting tool mounted thereon, said tool comeasily replaced. The insertion of the new prising a U-shaped element, and a wire concutting wire 14 or the replacement of a necting the legs of said element adjacent worn tool requires very little time and but their ends, the legs of the U-shaped element little work. being slotted to receive said wire, said slots While I have illustrated the invention as being cut at an angle. embodied in a rotary plow, it will be appar- 11. A rotary plow comprising a power ent that other forms of tools may be-carried shaft, an annular rim, a plurality of U- by the rim 17 and that the resilient drive is shaped tools mounted on said rim, and drivcapable of use in combination with other ing means between said power shaft and elements. It will be understood that the said rim comprising a plurality of flexible specific construction of the several elements spokes. and their relative arrangement is subject to considerable modification without departthe U-shaped tools carry a thin member being from the spirit of my invention as set tween their ends.

forth in the following claims. .In testimony whereof, I afix my signa- I claim: ture.

1. In an agricultural implement, a power shaft, an annular tool-carrying rim, and ALFRED JQHANN AUSPITZER 12. The structure as in claimll wherein 9. The invention as claimed in claim 8 

